What is the clarification of the problem mentioned in "Badhl al-Majhud" regarding the obligation of recitation in every rak'ah, taking into account the Hanafis' statement that recitation is obligatory in two rak'ahs? And what is the ruling on one who follows the Hanafi madhhab regarding the obligation of recitation in two rak'ahs?
The Hanafi school of thought holds that reciting one verse is obligatory in two rak'ahs of a prescribed prayer, and reciting Al-Fatiha along with a short surah (three verses) is obligatory in all rak'ahs of supererogatory and witr prayers, as well as in the first two rak'ahs of a prescribed prayer. An obligatory (fard) act is one whose omission invalidates the prayer, while a necessary (wajib) act is one whose omission does not invalidate the prayer, but the prayer must be repeated if it was omitted intentionally or by mistake and no prostration of forgetfulness (sajdat as-sahw) was performed for it.
In conclusion, the fatwa does not adopt the Hanafi school's view on this matter. Rather, it issues a fatwa stating the obligatoriness of Al-Fatiha in every rak'ah of the prayer, based on the hadith: "There is no prayer for one who does not recite the Opening of the Book (Fatihat al-Kitab)."
Summarized from the full answer at Ftawy · reviewed Sep 2, 2026
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